Six persons, including two policemen, were injured in a clash in Bishnupur on Saturday. Four persons were arrested on charges of rioting.

According to Bishnupur police, a clash broke out between two local groups around 12.30 pm. “The incident is a sequel to long-standing rivalry between the two gangs. They have frequent fights over territory,” said Debkumar Ganguly, superintendent of police, South 24-Parganas.

The situation took a turn for the worse when officials from Bishnupur police station rushed to the spot. The warring youths, reportedly backed by two political parties, started pelting stones at the policemen. Soon, they began hurling bombs as well, an official said. Two constables sustained serious injuries in the melee.

The police were caught unawares by the sudden attack. “We could do nothing as the goons outnumbered us. There were more than 200 armed youths. So we sought help from the Bishnupur police station and the Alipore police headquarters,” the official added.

But before reinforcements could arrive, the miscreants threw stones at the police jeep and smashed its windscreen. Some of them even tried to set the vehicle on fire. Their attempt was foiled by a large contingent of force — consisting of two dozen constables and two inspectors — which reached the spot just then. “When the police resorted to a lathicharge, the attackers started fleeing. We rounded up four from the spot,” Ganguly said.

Elaborating the cause behind the incident, Ganguly said: “The gangs have been fighting for long to gain control over the area. We have got the names of some youths who might have masterminded the clash. The adjacent areas are being combed.”